Running in the Family
by Chris000
Summary: Ryan's parents died when he was young, but the man who pulled the trigger is still out there. Ryan, with the help of Doran Industries and Chaotix must use resources at their disposal to track down a man named Davik who can provide Ryan closure.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

Running in the Family

Chris000

Chapter 0: Prologue

March 10th, 3238, 1153 hours

Knothole, Castle Acorn, Mobius

The sun was high in the sky, nearing its apex. Birds sang their song in the trees. Castle Acorn was a calm sentinel over the forest. Although the castle was far away from the city, roughly a ten minute drive from the limits on an elaborate drive, the tops of the tallest buildings were visible above the trees. The castle was home to the Acorns for hundreds of years, built during the Dark Ages almost two hundred years ago. With the advent of technology almost fifty years ago, citizens seemed to adapt rather quickly. The castle as well advanced. Holograms, computers, new reinforcing structure and even a link to a few Mobian starships. Things had changed since the UNSC arrived in '34. Thankfully, it was for the better.

In a hall in this castle stood a single man, Human, shaved head. Ryan Percy was leaning up against the wall with a photo in his hand. He looked at it longingly. Today was his parents' anniversary. He only shared it with a few people, but his parents were dead. It was in this way he could best relate to his friend and former superior officer, Captain Christopher Vennettilli. They had both lost their parents at a young age, Chris was older than Ryan at his sad moment but the effect was the same and they both lived with it for years. The only contrast was that Chris came to terms with their deaths and moved on. However, Ryan just couldn't find peace because there was one stark difference in his parents' death:

They were personally murdered.

Ryan was born on a planet known as Constance. Constance was an aquatic world, 90% covered in water. It was a vacation spot and it had a healthy geothermal power industry. The volcanos and marine thermal vents produced so much power that it was in excess, so it was beamed onto passing freighters to export to other worlds. In addition to it's power source, Constance is one of the few worlds to have floating cities. Settlements built on floating platforms that flowed in the world's water currents. These were massive, measuring two football fields across at the smallest and up to a dozen for the largest, over a mile wide. That wasn't to say that there wasn't land-based cities. It was in Whitesand, a beach-side settlement that Ryan was Born.

His childhood was nothing remarkable. He had decent education, originally inspired to work at one of the geothermal plants, a prestigious job on Constance. However, when he was seven years old, Ryan met the one thing that would change his life. His parents were short on cash. Investments in the local fishing industry were thought to be plentiful, but the planet entering its summer season caused migrations to the lower levels of the ocean, preventing major hauls. As the local stock market plummeted, so did the Percy's investments.

Desparate for a way out, Ryan's parents tried to borrow money. The largest loaner they could find was a criminal kingpin named Davik. He headed front corporations to make a revenue on Constance, and he was a high-ranking member of the Constantine Mafia, despite not being of Italian origin. The money went towards geothermal industries. While they did make some money on it, it wasn't enough to pay off the crime lord. All his parents wanted was a better life for them and their child, and they had gotten killed on that journey.

Ryan never found Davik, even after years of searching. He gave up on it, went into developing his arms company, and did a pretty good job of it. That wasn't to say he forgot about it. Not one night passed that he never thought about it.

"Ryan?"

He almost jumped. The photo flew out of his hand and it circled to the ground. He reached to pick it up and saw a pair of blue boots.

He knelt and looked up. Sally Alicia Acorn's blue eyes stared down. She smiled slightly.

"Hey."

Ryan grabbed the photo and stood up, dusting his knees.

"Hi Sal."

She leaned over. "That's the picture of your folks?"

"Yes. Back when they were alive."

Sally didn't point out the obviousness out of respect for Ryan. "You said they were killed, right?"

"Yeah." He said shrugging. "But that was...years ago."

"Ryan, you told me about your parents in confidence. I intend to keep that in confidence, but would you like my advice? As a friend?"

"Shoot."

Sally rolled her eyes. Another gun pun, and on the same subject as three years ago, no less.

"You need to move on. Remember Chris? He lost his parents when he was young but he came to terms with it."

Ryan started to pace. "Yes, but Chris' issue was the terrorists. He fought them at Talahan and it just took a few months for it to set in afterwards. My parents' killer is still out there!" His voice echoed in the hall. Silence returned in a few short seconds. Sally stood, hands on her hips.

"Ryan, I know what you're thinking, and you aren't doing it."

"Why? What am I planning to do, Sally?"

"You can't put out a fire with gasoline."

"You know what?" He started to pace towards her. Sally's hands dropped to her side and she actually took a step back. "You never lost your parents. You don't know what it's like, you don't know Human emotion!"

Sally slapped Ryan.

"Don't say that! My parents thought they lost _me_, Ryan! We were lost for three years! Three godamned years! You know they had an empty coffin funeral?"

"Sally, I was--"

"And don't _ever_ say that I don't know about Human emotion! I have met the nicest man in the world! I fell in love with a human, Ryan! Emotion held us together!"

"Sally! I need closure! Who knows how many people this man has killed!"

He clapsed her hand.

"I know I don't need to ask you for permission, but try to understand what has happened! Davik needs to pay for what he's done. Davik needs to feel my pain."

Sally looked into his eyes. "Ryan. Please...don't kill him."

He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "For you, sweetheart. For you."

She hugged him. "Thanks. You won't be long will you?"

Ryan said, "Well, we have time. Our mission won't start for years."

"Don't take that long. Everyone will miss you."

"Hey, relax. I don't work that way."

Sally glanced into space. "But, where will you go first? Do you even know where to start?"

Ryan shrugged. "Not really," he admitted "but the interesting part comes from the search."

"So you have no way to pinpoint Davik's location."

"Actually, I may know someone that can help us. They claim to be the best detectives on the planet, but I can tell that's probably bullshit. I've seen their toys though, and one is ex-military, so my odds look good."

"Well, her highness bids you good luck, Percy."

"Thanks Sal. I have to get my stuff in order." Ryan walked off down the hall. Sally looked at him, smiling. Around the corner, Christopher Vennettilli came.

"Hey, Sal!" He hugged her. "Been looking for you!"

"Aw, what for? You just missed Ryan."

"Ryan was here? I thought he went back to Earth."

"No. He said he had something to do. He bids the Captain aideu."

"Princess, remember, we were discharged. I'm officially not a member of the UNSC."

"Yeah, but you are officially a freedom fighter in our books." She said fixing his collar. "Your collar is crooked."

"Sorry, mom."

"You look handsome."

"I know." he said smiling. They kissed for a second.

"Seriously, where's Ryan going?"

"I don't know. He said he had something important to work on."

"Well then. The Captain wishes him luck."

She smiled widely. "You know...I don't have anything planned for the night."

Chris shrugged. "Me neither."

"You...want to do something?"

Chris arched an eyebrow. "Might this something involve a wonderful movie, dinner, and a bottle of the finest Pegasi vintage I can find?"

"Maybe a little bit more." she winked.

Chris smirked. "Well, I think I can schedule something."

"Glad to hear it."

They kissed once more and strolled down the hall, hand in hand.


	2. Chapter 1: Chaotix

Chapter 1: Chaotix

March 10th, 3238, 1301 hours

M-21 Motorway, Mobius

Ryan shifted gears on his Hyundi Jagged and merged into the motorway. This was his Mobius car. He had another car on Earth, a Hitsugaya Helios. Something about Japanese cars, the feel, the edge, the power windows...it screamed perfection. Personally he didn't understand some of his other friends. Chris and Sonic, they were all-American muscle car guys.

He realized that he was almost tailgating an SUV and eased on the gas. Driving etiquette was similar to that on Earth and he had to obey the rules of the road. He crossed over a lane and nearly cut off another motorist. The annoyed driver honked in anger and sent Ryan skidding for a second.

"Jackass." He growled. He continued along the M-21 motorway for a good five minutes where the buildings began to grow thick. Ryan prefered this environment where the urban center was thickest. He pulled off the highway and moved onto High Street, slightly off First Avenue. The city was located some distance from the castle. Before he descended from the motorway, he could just barely see the keep in the distance. However, as soon as he hit the off-ramp, he was emersed in Knothole.

The city was busy today, and it was rush hour no less. That made traffic congestion terrible. However, Ryan was determined to get through the fray. He waited for his chance and stomped on the accelerator. The Jagged leapt forward in front of a Mainz-Trager, a German jeep. The driver honked on his horn a few times. So he was a bit of a crappy driver today. He was trying to find a killer.

"Automatic. Take over." Ryan said. The wheel snapped out of his hand and his car automatically aligned to the center of the lane. Sensors in the engine block scanned for the road while other sensors in the wheel wells gauged the distance to the curb. Autopilot was useful for jams like this in which somebody didn't want to keep their foot on the pedal for untold hours each day. Kind of like Cruise Control on a long highway.

"Bring up search engine."

A holographic screen popped up. The Lexicon, a popular Internet search engine was on default. "_Command?_"

"Search. Mobius, Knothole, Chaotix Detective Agency."

"_Confirmed. Cha-o-tix Agen-see. Searching_." The planet built itself on the screen and it dramatically zoomed in on the city. His car was represented by a blue shape and his destination, a rectangle tinted orange appeared and a line snaking through the city. "_Calculating fastest route. Driving_."

The car accelerated foot by foot, the traffic slowing them down. "COME ON YOU BASTARDS!" He honked the horn furiously. When the drivers didn't even budge, he reclined his seat. "Tint windows." The windows polarized. "Radio on, Playlist 1."

"_Playing_._ BeeGees_."

"Like I'm not in enough shit already."

By the time the traffic was back at a managable speed, the sun was starting to set. Ryan was back at the wheel and driving at a managable rate. According to his research, the Chaotix detective agency was one of the most connected in the city, sporting an interpol computer, licenses to carry firearms, and an office on Earth in Chicago, Illinois to boot! That being said, the vast majority of the 'detectives' were assholes. In his Internet research, Ryan came up with three active detectives. There was Vector T. Crocodile, an airhead if he ever saw one. Vector was as white a gangster could get while still being Mobian. In his early twenties, a music addict, and the dumbest sumbitch when it came to technology that even walked the earth, he was - Ryan was sad to discover - the leader of the motley crew.

Second was Espio the Cheamilion. Ryan did some work and discovered that he originated from the Asian analogue. Served in his local military for three years, ranking in as Third Platoon Master (Gunnery Sergeant in UNSC terms), and taking part in a secret project. His involvement got his last name redacted so Ryan couldn't break through the military firearms to discover what it was. He had his own built in Active Camouflage that could blend into scenery, kind of like a suit of Semi-Powered Infiltration (SPI) armor. He was trained in armed an proficient in unarmed combat, a great addition to the team.

He was surprised that he could find someone as useless as this guy. Charmy the Bee. Good-fucking-_God_! At just over ten years old, he was the adoptee of the group. As a matter of fact, Ryan believed that he _was _an adoptee, but he saw no papers to lay it to rest. It seemed that Charmy's only function was to fill up space, flying around and annoying people. That was Ryan's take though.

He checked his laptop. Apparently, Chaotix had a respectable case completion ratio, and they must have earned enough money to buy an _Interpol_ computer. Chaotix seemed to resemble a small warehouse, but Ryan knew appearences could be decieving. His firearms dealership in New York was based on an old warehouse on ground level. Pulling into a street-side parking spot, he turned off the car and stepped out. The sky was somewhere between blue and orange, the sunlight being stretched by the atmosphere. Ryan took a deep breath and stepped inside the building. The instant he walked through the door, he was in a detective office right out of Dick Tracy. Wood panneled walls, a ceiling fan, a large filing cabinet, and a billboard labelled 'EVIDENCE'. It was blank.

"Yoo hoo." Ryan said tapping the wall. "Anybody home?"

Suddenly, a crocodile burst through a door. "I'm here! I'm here!" He panted for a second before catching his breath. "Vector T. Crocodile, at your service sir. You grace us with your presence."

"Uh huh." Ryan said shaking his hand.

Vector ajusted his headsphones. "You'll have to excuse us. We're in a bit of a deficit right now."

"What do you mean? You guys have a respectable streak."

"Well, there's a story behind that..."

"Human. Military, I can tell." A patch of air said.

"Hello Espio." Ryan said.

"Impressive. How could you tell?" The air spoke.

"I've done my homework. Third Platoon Master, decorations, Project SHADOW-WIND."

"He could be an enemy, Vector. He has solid intel."

"Naw, the man's cool, Espio." Vector interjected.

"Hmm..." Espio said narrowing his eyes. "UNSC?"

"I was. I actually enlisted in '27. 75th Battalion. I was at actually at Malificent and then at Talahan. I was there when Malificent cracked in two."

"What rank?"

"Lance Corporal when I finished my second tour. When I reinstated in '35 I moved up to full Corporal."

"Hmm...Mediocre."

Ryan bit his lip. "Well, I was reprimanded for a crime I did not commit."

"Is that so, B.A. Barrachus?"

"I was demoted for supposedly striking an officer."

"What was the truth?" Espio asked.

"Another soldier. I didn't even know the guy, He was in Echo Company, I was in November Company. Apparently, the guy had his back turned and this jackass hit him. He didn't die, but he ran off. An MP who was nearby ran over, saw me, and boom, I get blamed."

"Classic." Espio whispered to Vector, who nodded.

"So, you need our help finding this guy?"

"No, I do need to find someone though." He hefted a file. "When I was a child, my parents were killed by a crime lord because they owed him money. I need to find THIS guy."

"First you get demoted, and your parents are killed?" Vector asked. "Don't think that's our style! You wanna talk about murders, there was this one group a couple years back..."

"I can pay. I'm a very well off entreprenuer."

"Selling what?"

"Guns. Lots of guns."

Espio grunted.

"Hmm. Takes more than that to impress me. What's your brand name?"

"RyCorp."

"Never heard of it."

"Hmm. We'll see about that. You're ex-military?"

"Yes." Espio said.

"Got guns?"

"Yeah."

"Get me a gun."

"Which one?"

"Any gun."

The gun was a Russian assault rifle. Krinkov arms were reminiscient of old AK rifles produced back on Earth during the 20th Century. High rate of fire, high accuracy, overall kick ass.

Espio retrieved the gun. It had the magazine removed, and the chamber was cleared. The gun seemed to be simple, except for a holographic sight that graced the top of the pictinny rail. "Here you go, PK-27, Standard Issue Spetsnaz rifle."

Ryan looked the gun over and immedietely started disassembling it. He pulled apart railing, bolts, gas tubes and firing pins. Soon, the Russian assault rifle was laying in neat rows. "See it?"

"See what?"

"Right there on the bolt."

Espio looked hard and saw it stamped just behind the barrel lock: RYCORP.

"No..." The Chemelion said trying not to believe it. "You swapped my bolt out."

"Really? I must be damn fast, faster than a ninja supposedly."

"That information is not well known."

"Well, I got a friend who's great with computers and information. He could crack a manifest on New Mars if he had to."

"Yeah? What's his name?"

"That information isn't for sale. However, I am willing to pay you a king's fortune and a half if you guys help me." He glanced slyly at Espio. "That is if I got Stormshadow's blessing here."

"This _is_ my bolt. I remember installing it myself."

"I'll take that as a resounding yes." Ryan said beaming.

Vector, who had been lost in the music for some time, came to his senses at the word 'fortune'. "Well, we're gonna need to see numbers man!"

"Certainly." Ryan took out a PDA and tapped a few numbers in his stylus. "That's with the exchange rate?"

"Sure." Vector said shrugging.

"Let's see, multiply by .956...gives me your total."

"MOTHERFUCK!" Vector said, jaw dropping.

"That...that's a lot of zeros."

"Damn straight. You want it, it's yours. You just need to give me Davik's location."

"Hey mister?"

Ryan wheeled around. Charmy the Bee hovered in front of him. Not even ten years old, Ryan wondered what he was doing in this environment. An ancient instinct kicked in and he backed away from the bee. "What's that?"

"Can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead kid."

"If you have so much money, why do you kill people?"

"Do I kill people? Or do I stop them?" He placed his hand on his chin. "That's a good question. I think it started out as killing. I had been hurt and I wanted to hurt back. When I was old enough to join, I joined and went to Malificent. Course there were few humans, so I didn't really get my fill until Talahan came along. That was a hard war. It made me see how sick humans could be. I mean, I've read about it, but when you see it..."

He seemed to digress from the topic.

"I went into serious weapon design. I had a pistol my father gave to me when I was young, I still have it. I made my money that way, little man. I made a living, and now I am a king, resting on a throne of bullets."

"Hmm. I don't know if I want to live that life, mister."

"You don't have to. We all have our paths."

Ryan stayed at the Chaotix agency. The facility was more than he assumed it to be in the beginning. Behind the facade of a seemingly simple agency, it had a high-tech back section with equipment that just had to be a gift from a military power. Espio was the man on the computer. It seemed that Vector's job was to displace as much air as he possibly could. Ryan figured that he must have had his uses though.

"Percy, where were you from, again?" Espio asked.

"Constance, Barnard's Star."

"OK, let me see here..." he brought up the Milky Way Galaxy, highlighted UNSC space, and zoomed in on Barnard's Star. The system only had three planets. One was a Hot Jupiter, Constance itself, and an ice giant hovering at a Plutonian-like eccentric orbit.

"Hmm...vacation spot. Secondary source of revenue. What's the first?"

"Geothermal energy." Ryan said.

"Really. Huh. Ship energy off-world?"

"Yeah. Bottle it and sell it."

"Yeah, this is interesting..." Vector said, not interested at all.

"What's 'Geothermal' mean, Vector?"

Espio said, "Means that energy is produced by the natural heat of the planet. Renewable. Reliable. Should be more like that. Predictable, not like wind." he zoomed in on the planet, which was circled by three satellites.

"Cool! Your home has three moons?" Charmy asked hovering near the screen.

"Yup, the Triplets. Denver, Holland, and Quinn."

"Name of capital city?"

"Whitesand. Largest mainland city. Population seven million."

Espio highlated the sprawl of ivory buildings, bleached by the sun and from construction. A single silver strand ran from the city into the sky. "OK, shouldn't be too hard. I'll have to scan the news records over the past fifty years. I know your parents weren't killed that long ago obviously, but it's a search setting hardwired into the computer."

Newspaper articles flashed on the screen, each labelled over the past fifty years, multiple hotwords showed up as a highlighted streak across the screen. Some people appeared on front pages. Some they recognized, some they didn't. A hodgepodge of activity. Sports teams winning intra-region championships, some kid who won a science fair with a paper mache volcano, When a famous actor, David Blane (no relation) came to visit while during a film in the area.

"Wow. All this stuff happened on _Constance_?

A smile tugged at Espio's mouth. "Stuff happens all the time. You just need to keep an open eye and an open mind. Isn't that what got you off your rock?"

"No. We're still close-minded, cyinical bastards, we just have fusion engines."

Espio was about to comment on Ryan's statement, on how he had met several open-minded humans in the past few years, when the computer pinged.

"Hello. Got something."

The screen showed a newspaper dated almost twenty years ago. It showed a pair of body bags. The headline read, _Couple Murdered by Drug Lord Davik_.Ryan suddenly leaned in. "What's that?"

"Newspaper article. Hmph. Looks like your parents made front page." his lip curled at his own dark humor.

"Not funny. Was there a picture in there?"

"Hang on, let me see. Story continued on A6..." Espio digitally flipped through the newspaper, looking for the page where the story continued. "OK. Found it. _Tragedy has struck for a local family of three. At approximately 11:23 PM, Gregory Percy and his wife Helena met their ends from two sole gunshots. The man who pulled the trigger was said to be none other than the Constantine crime-lord, Weston Davik. Despite the testimony of three eye-witnesses including the Percy's young son, Ryan..._" He looked at Ryan for a second who gulped uncomfortably. "..._Davik was able to escape conviction through unknown reasons. A manhunt has been organized to attempt to bring the criminal in_."

"That search was cancelled a year after this article was released." Ryan noted.

"How did he do it?" Charmy asked.

"Playing dirty." Ryan explained with hands crossed. "He may be considered small time on Constance, _Casa Nostra_ I think not, but he had contacts in the Mafia. Made him disappear."

"If that's the case, his trail may be long gone by now." Espio said.

"I think you're right." Ryan agreed.

Vector leaned up against the wall. "Well, we know one thing."

"What's that?"

"We know there's some sort of connection with Constance. You need to go there to get more information."

"What, that's all you have for me?"

"Not yet. Davik's crimes go back a few decades. According to this police report, Davik was almost sixty years old! This was about ten years before Ryan's parents."

Doing quick math, Vector stated, "That makes him almost a hundred."

"The new mid-age." Ryan quipped.

"Look at this." Espio said surprised. "Illegal weapon smuggling, rumrunning, backroom deals, armed robbery, extortion, _murder_. This guy is like Teflon. Nothing sticks to him. People talk though. Internet forums, chat rooms, even historical sites. Look at this guy. I can't believe this is all open information."

"Gangs like to make themselves known." Vector said. "I bet he bribes the police to keep his gigs quiet."

"Constance isn't the cleanest place in the galaxy if you catch my drift. It's used as a speakeasy for contraband." Ryan explained.

"Speakeasy?" Charmy asked.

"A word coming from the 1930s back on Earth. In the United States, Prohibition kept alcohol from being used. Speakeasies were places where you could have a drink and not get caught. Illegal, perhaps. Nowadays it just refers to a place where the law doesn't exist."

"Awesome. Real life Al Capone shit!" Vector said, thoroughly psyked.

Ryan crossed his arms. "So now we have a lead. Thanks a lot guys."

"Whoa, where you going?" the crocodile asked.

"You did your job. I have to catch a flight to Constance."

"We're coming with you." Espio said.

"Guys. You don't need to." the human tried to explain.

"With the figures you're paying us? Not a chance." Vector said. "Besides, its been weeks since we had a case, and we've never been off-planet before!"

Ryan knew he was going to regret his choice.

"If we're going to leave, we had better leave now."

Charmy did a loop in the air. "YAY!" He cried in joy.

Knothole International was a moderately sized airport. A single terminal dominated the horizon with dozens of international flights. In terms of design, it resembled old-fashioned airport terminals found back on Earth. Some still existed in some countries. Multiple airplanes stood in berths, but there also were a few space-worthy craft, long, aerodynamic ships that could break escape velocity. There were comparably fewer of these craft than airplanes.

The interior was spartan in appearence. It lacked the flair of Terran terminals but got the job done. The woman at the terminal smiled. "Hello! Can I help you?"

"4 for a round trip to Constance." Ryan began.

"OK, any carryon?"

"Yes, one large suitcase, roundabout forty pounds."

"Alright. Your flight's departing in a little less than half an hour, sir. You might want to hurry."

"OK. How much do I owe you?"

"4,800."

"OK."

Vector stepped ahead. "We'll take this, Ryan."

"Why?"

"You paid us more in the course of a few seconds than what we make in a year. We'll take it out of the king's fortune."

The aerospace shuttle took off much like an airplane. When it reached a hundred thousand feet, SCRAM jets kicked in, pushing the craft to well over 9 km/s. The acceleration was enormus. Every passenger was pushed into their seat. Soon, the rumbling was gone as air pressure dropped. Soon, the sky was black. The detectives looked out the porthole.

"Look at that, Espio. Have you ever seen something so...beautiful?"

The chemielion's eyes blinked. "No. Never from up here before."

Charmy just stared, in awe of the broken moon, much sharper here than on the ground.

The shuttle rolled in the vacuum. maneuvering thrusters positioned the ship dead center on the warpgate. Soon, the craft accelerated. The pilot shifted the craft to the right to avoid a UNSC frigate that blew through the gate at 50,000 KPH.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, you will experience a slight flash. Do not be alarmed, it's a natural procedure. We urge you to sit back, relax, and please wait while we make the transition_." the pilot advised.

The gate grew at an alarming rate. the jumpgate that connected Earth and Mobius pulsed blue, responding to signals sent by the shuttle. Within an eyeblink, they were in the gate and moving down a tunnel of white light. The Chaotix detectives were shaking in nervousness. Ryan couldn't blame them. This was something they wouldn't be used to. As soon as it began, a few minutes later, the sky was black again and a glowing blue ball stood before them.

"Is that Constance?" Charmy asked.

"No, that's Earth."

"WOW!" Vector said. "I always heard that Earth was a dump! There's still forests! Clouds! Blue oceans!"

Ryan gritted his teeth. "Contrary to popular belief, Humans are not complete morons. We know when to stop expanding. Several parts of Earth are still green. Forests, deserts, oceans so to speak, we healed our planet when we got the message in the 21st Century. This isn't our stop though."

"It's not?" Charmy asked, sad that he would never see the glowing skyscrapers.

"No, we were just connecting. The real flight begins very soon."

As soon as he said that, the ship wheeled. A white ring of light grew in space. "Slipspace rupture." he explained. "I don't know how it works, but its our saving grace, FTL."

"How long will it take?" Vector asked.

"Less than a few hours."

"I can barely wait." Espio said, somewhat sarchastically.

The tiny shuttle flew into the generated tear in space. As soon as her stern pushed through, the gash sealed itself, leaving a busy homeworld behind them.


	3. Chapter 2: Sunshine

Chapter 2: Sunshine

March 10th, 3238, 1715 hours

Barnard's Star Syetem

Civilian Shuttle

The shuttle burst from a gash in space. The flash was a wave of radiation, light and evergy of untold magnitude. The civilian shuttle coasted on momentum carried from the entry into the Slipspace rupture. It silently rolled, correcting its trajectory to follow the local traffic. The red glow of Barnard's Star bathed the shuttle. This sun was smaller and cooler than Sol, but it still allowed a small system of planets to form around it. Constance was the second of three worlds, standing out as a brilliantly blue orb.

"Wow! Is that Constance?" Charmy asked.

"Yup." Ryan said, grinning. "Home, sweet home."

"Amazing a planet like this could form in an M-Class Star System." Espio noted looking over the system specifics on a computer.

"Barnard's Star was always a bit of a wacko." Ryan admitted. "Initial surveys thought that the planet would be heavily irradiated, but it seems that Constance has a very strong magnetic field. Moreso it seems, than Earth."

"So, what's wrong with that?" Vector asked taking a sip of water from a bottle.

"Well, compasses are much more sensitive here, sometimes electronics fuck up in the polar regions, and there's much more magnetic power."

"Otherwise, looks like a swell place to live." Vector said kicking back.

"Yeah. We have to see the Black Forest if we get the chance."

"You mean the Black Forest in Germany." Espio said, correcting him.

"No, I mean a literal Black Forest. You see, stars like these throw off massive UV light. Plants that absorb this take on darker colors. They're all over the place here. Personally, I was scared out of my mind when I went to Earth!"

What Ryan wasn't telling the guys was that he hadn't been back to Constance in years. He had left the planet when he was 16 years old and able to get out of foster care early through military service. He hadn't seen the orb since, save for a few commercials advertising the white beaches shining in the red sunlight. He was nearly thirty now, and he could finally look upon his home once more.

"Are you alright?" Espio asked. "You seem distracted."

"Hmm? Do I?" Ryan asked. "I don't know. You know that feeling when you leave home for a long time?"

"Of course, homesickness. I had it all the time when I was in training. Of course, we were ordered to put it all aside under fear that we would become emotionally compromised."

"I agree. UNSC servicemen had similar training techniques."

"Of course, we were always locked to our home planet. You have it worse than I do."

"_Attention passengers. We will be moving to enter Constance's atmosphere in fifteen minutes. We ask that in this time that you stay in your seats and prepare for reentry procedures which can be found in your flight booklet. We hope that you have enjoyed your trip and hope that you choose Virgin Galactica for your interstellar travels again! The time is currently 5:17 PM Grenwhich Time, 11:34 AM in Whitesand City, the capital of Constance. The local temperature is 24 degrees Celsius. Might want to check out one of Constance's thousands of beaches. Once again, we thank you for flying with Virgin, enjoy your day._"

The shuttle began its dive into the clouds. A small haze of orange formed at the nose as the craft entered the atmosphere. The interior rumbled slightly. Almost all of the passengers bounced in their seats. Children giggled in joy, as well as Charmy, who was struggling to sit still, even with webbing keeping him in place.

"Vector, are you alright?" the bee asked. "You're looking a little green!"

Vector was not impressed. "Was that supposed to be funny, Chramy? I think I'm getting airsick!" He looked frantically for a hurl bag.

The waves of Constance churned as they had for thousands of years. Some time in the far past, all of the mosture on the planet was locked up in massive glaciers in the polar regions. The planet was in a state of perpetual ice age. It was a very different Constance. It was hypothesized that some sort of global cataclysm melted this water, possibly an unprecidented heating of the planet's interior temperature. Now, there was little land in site. The planet's prestine surface was pockmarked by a few islands, and the shuttle was heading right for the largest of them.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, ahead is the Whitesand spaceport. Constructed in 2427, the Whitesand International Flight Center was inteneded for transcontinental flight on Constance and used for small spacecraft and military craft. A larger spaceport was constructed in orbit to accomodate all forms of military travel, civilian as well as commercial flight. We will be landing at Palm Terminal. A monorail will connect you to the mainland. We will be landing in two minutes_.

The building was constructed out of white metal. The pale white-blue sky was clear of all clouds, letting the red star shine off the water. All of the trees had black leaves blowing in the wind. This got the detectives' attention.

"Whoa." Vector said looking out the window.

"Yeah, pretty wierd huh? Apparently if you orbit a red star, the plants absorb lots of UV radiation so it gets a little black tinge."

"I thought trees were green!" Charmy said. "They taught me that in school!"

"Well, they are, but only when there's a yellow sun, like Earth or Mobius."

The shuttle halted over Palm Terminal. The pilots gradually cut the engines, lowering the craft onto the pad. Lower and lower they came until the wheels of the shuttle hit the tarmac. The passengers applauded, happy that they had gone through a safe trip.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, please make sure that you take your baggage from the overhead compartments, please ensure that you throw out your trash, please look for the nearest flight attendant to exit the shuttle have a good one ladies and gents._" The pilots finally shut off the COM. The guys unbuckled and got up. Vector, being the tallest, opened the compartments and retrieved two carry-on baggages.

"Well, thankfully we have the advantage of landing in an open terminal." Espio noted.

"What does that mean?" Vector asked.

"It means we don't have to go through a docking arm or an extensive terminal or anthing."

They stepped off the shuttle into the somewhat bright sunlight. The pale white-blue sky accenting the red star. All around them, black-tinged plants sat in ornate pots. They looked the size of palm trees and indeed were palm trees taken from Earth. They were still slightly green, taking in and getting used to this strange new form of photosynthesis.

"Nice plants." Espio said.

"Hey, are you gonna comment on everything you see here?"

"Well _excuse_ me!"

"_Do you find yourself missing something from life_?"

"HOLY SHIT!" Vector said jumping half an inch. A woman yelled at him, covering her child's ears.

"Relax, it's just an advertisement." Ryan said. "Oh God, this thing is still going strong?"

"_Do you find yourself wanting to move on in life, trying to climb the social ladder_?"

"Might as well stay to watch the whole thing."

A man appeared on screen. He stood clean-shaven and wearing a smart business suit. He straightened his tie for the camera and half smiled.

"_Hello, my name is Stuart Phineas Labute. Ever since 3228 when I became CEO of OmiTech Enterprises, I desired to put my company on the map. OmniTech prides itself in bringing all the best technology to your home and ensuring everlasting quality._ _For the past five fiscal years, OmniTech has topped the New York, Chinese, Toronto and Outer Colonial stock markets. We extend the opportunity for any and all to help join our family and make OmniTech one of the most successful companies organized. We could use your services and perhaps we too can help you. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Percy?_"

Ryan's head whipped around. "What…?"

"_For those that express the interest of joining the family and exploring opportunities in research and development, maybe even solve a few mysteries, our New York Office number is 5GA6-21RJB-81628, once again that number is 5GA6-21RJB-81628. Make the right choice. Call today." _Labute winked and the screen shifted to an advertisement for one of the beaches.

Ryan was left wondering what he just saw. "That…that was…"

"No, it was nothing." Espio said, but it was clear that the detectives were just as confused about what they just saw.

"Did that man know your name, Ryan?" Charmy asked, blissfully ignorant.

"It was just a commercial." He said and moved on.

Whitesand had a population of almost 2 million citizens. The streets were lined with bars, boutiques, as well as "dance" studios.

"What's that?" Charmy asked, looking at the shadowy silhouette of a dancing woman.

"I'll tell you when you're 18, bucko." Vector said with a longing glance. "Can we make a detour some time?"

"We are here on investigation." Ryan said simply.

"Yeah, but we got the King's Fortune!"

"Not yet you don't."

"You're no fun."

"Try losing your parents sometime."

"Cold." Espio remaked. "I like it."

The road outside of the airport, Wayside Avenue was bustling with tourists. Apparently, there was some sort of festa. A quick glance up and down the street confirmed it. An Italian festival spilled into the street. A local soccer game had been a victory.

"They closed an entire street because of a sporting event?" Espio asked.

"Italians and soccer. I should know. I am acquainted with one."

A drunken pair, consisting of a scantily clad fox and a tanned young man staggered past. He offered Ryan a bottle.

"_ABBIAMO VINTO! Il vino, fratello?_"

"No thanks, I'm fine."

"_Insisto! E 'una buona notte!_"

"No, I'm good."

"_Antonio, tu sei pazzo, _baby!" the fox looked at Ryan. "Sorry, honey. Italians and soccer, you know?"

"I'm surprised that there was a game over here."

"Yeah, they flew a team in. Anthony loved soccer, grew up with it back in Naples."

"Actually, can I ask something?"

"Sure."

"Where can I find a good hotel?"

"Well, we were at the Hotel Formica, it's very nice. I recommend it. See that building that looks like a pyramid?"

"Yeah."

"That's it, sweetheart!"

"Thank you very much, enjoy the party."

"I plan to, human." She said looking back to Antonio with desire.

"_Ora giochiamo, eh?_"

"_Si_, baby_, si!_"

Ryan shook his head with a smile as their friends went back to celebrating.

Since the roads were closed off for the festa, the guys resorted to walking to the hotel, which turned out to be a favorable choice. Seagulls cooed as they flew over the land, circling and diving in the red sunrise. Waves lapped at the sand of one of the many beaches as hundreds of people from many races enjoyed the sun. Ryan could have sworn he saw a pair of Unggoy, clad in methane equipment walking hand in hand down the sand. It warmed Ryan's heart to see people getting along here, but the thought of his old home, a beachside resident…dripping with blood…

He just wanted to lie down for a second.

The hotel's doors opened. Ryan checked his watch. It was twenty after noon now. Jetlag had taken its toll on him and he felt slightly off. He urged himself to stay awake at least until around 8 o' clock, then he could adjust himself to the local sleep cycle. Charmy however, was down like a sack of bricks. The little guy was in Vector's arms as they walked into the lobby.

"Hey, rooms for four."

"You got it. OK, got you on the seaside. Staying for long?"

"By the day if it's alright."

"You got it." The man behind the counter tapped a few commands on his computer. "We only have a single room. Festival's going crazy. Italians are coming like pilgrims to Mecca."

Ryan giggled. "No problem."

"OK then, here are your keys." He handed Percy a couple of cards. "Enjoy your stay."

"We good on rooms?" Vector asked a little softly not wanting to wake Charmy.

"Yeah. We only have one room though. I get one bed, the rest of you decide by deathmatch."

"Aw, son of a bitch." Vector growled


End file.
